UWCL: Anna Anvegård and BK Häcken ready to build on Europa Cup triumph ahead of Inter Milan clash

UWCL: Anna Anvegård and BK Häcken ready to build on Europa Cup triumph ahead of Inter Milan clash BK Häcken are preparing for their first UEFA Women’s Champions League appearance since the 2023/24 season, and Swedish attacker Anna Anvegård hopes they can recreate the form that saw them reach the quarter-final that campaign. Häcken will return to the UWCL on Tuesday as they travel to Milan to face Inter. The Gothenburg-based side are looking to build on a historic European campaign, which saw them lift the inaugural Women’s Europa Cup against fellow Swedish outfit Hammarby. On their way to victory, the side beat Inter 1-0 on aggregate with little separating the sides. Now, the Swedish side will face Inter again in their opening UWCL league phase fixture, with Anvegård expecting another closely fought encounter. “I think we’re just really excited to play this game,” she said. “We met them two times last year, and it was really, really close games, and I think they have started out the season well and have got new players, so I would say it’s a 50-50 game. And playing away also, I think it’s in their favour, but I think we are still very excited about it, and we will do everything we can to win the game.” Europa Cup triumph provides valuable experience Embed from Getty Images Häcken’s success in the Europa Cup gave the squad valuable experience playing European football, something Anvegård believes will benefit both the established players and those experiencing this stage for the first time. “Of course it helps a lot,” she said. “I mean we have a few players that have been playing these kinds of games, but there’s also a lot of our other players that have not, so for them to experience it, it’s good for them, and it’s good for the whole team that we get used to these kinds of games.” Another benefit of their European triumph is the familiarity of Tuesday’s opponent. Häcken faced Inter in the round of 16 last season, edging the Italian side 1-0 on aggregate before securing a goalless draw in the return fixture. However, Anvegård says last season’s meetings haven’t been a major focus ahead of their reunion in the first round of the UWCL league phase due to new faces that have arrived at the club. “I would say that we haven’t focused on that a lot,” she explained. “We have new players, and they have new players, but the main reason I think that we went through is that we had a good result at home. “We were up by one, and it felt like we weren’t stressed about it, and also that I think maybe the way we played, we knew exactly what we needed to do to go through and then we just kept going and it felt like they got more stressed as long as the second game went by.” Stress could be a key factor in Tuesday’s matchup, with Inter Milan set to partake in their first-ever UWCL game, while Häcken are no strangers to the tournament following deep runs in the past. Häcken looking to build on past Champions League success Embed from Getty Images Häcken have already shown they can compete deep into the UWCL, with their most recent quarter-final appearance coming in the 2023/24 season. They also reached the last eight in 2011/12 and 2012/13, when the club competed as Göteborg FC. Their 2023/24 run was particularly significant, as they became the first Swedish side to progress from the group stage before eventually losing 5-1 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals. The 29-year-old admits the side can take confidence from their previous runs in the competition. “It felt like we were almost as good as anyone, the way we played and that we could compete against Chelsea, for example,” she said. “It was clear that we were there and that’s something you can take with you and talk about, that even if on paper we met Chelsea and City and Lyon, that they have better players in every position, so it was just as good that we met Chelsea two years ago and made results against them.” Alongside this experience, with several new faces through the door, Anvegård believes the side’s playing style is ‘even better’ than when they reached the quarter-finals. When does Serie A Femminile start? Embed from Getty Images Another factor that could act in Häcken’s favour is that their domestic campaign is already well underway, with the Damallsvenskan beginning in late March, while Inter’s Serie A campaign is not scheduled to begin until September 26. The Swedish outfit currently sits top of their league standings with 17 wins from 19 matches – nine points clear of second-place Hammarby. This difference in competitive minutes could play a part when the two sides meet on Tuesday, particularly with Häcken already accustomed to the demands of regular league football alongside their European commitments. “We’ve been in this situation before, both in the season with the Europa Cup and also where we have been in the Champions League before. So for us, during the season, that is a lot of games just to manage to stay as fit as possible. I don’t think we will practice so hard between the games,” she said. Inter haven’t been completely out of action, however. The Nerazzurre have already played in the Serie A Women’s Cup, as well as their UWCL qualifying ties, before their league season gets underway. Anvegård believes the difference in preparation could be relevant, particularly when it comes to building relationships between new teammates. “Hopefully it is [an advantage]. I mean, when we start the season, it always takes a few games to really get going. So hopefully, but you don’t know, because these kind of games, they are so big. So it’s not so hard to get motivated.” “The connection between the players maybe is not at the top level for Inter. So I can bring that to the teammates and tell them,” she joked. Who has left BK Häcken this summer? However, it is a relatively new look for Häcken compared to last season’s Europa Cup triumph, with several attacking departures. With Monica Jusu Bah and Felicia Schröder moving on to Manchester United and Real Madrid, Anvegård has had to develop new attacking connections. The departing duo were two crucial attacking outlets for the Swedish side, with the latter bagging a hat-trick in the Europa Cup final. Jusu Bah contributed 23 G/As last campaign before joining the Women’s Super League. The forward acknowledges the loss of the pair but believes Häcken have recruited well to compensate in the frontline. “We had a really good link-up, me, Jusu Bah and Felicia. Of course, it’s a big loss for us, but I think that the club had done a good job with bringing in new players,” she said. Embed from Getty Images Among those arrivals is Maja Bodin, who Anvegård singled out after making an immediate impact. The 25-year-old joined Häcken after a short spell with fellow Swedish side Växjö DFF. “Maja Bodin came here and scored, I don’t know, seven goals in just a few games. So of course that helps us a lot. And also, I think it’s just getting to know the players around you, practice a lot together, and talk about different situations. But I think Maja is a very smart player, and it feels like we have started to get to know each other on the pitch very well.” Where can I watch the UEFA Women’s Champions League? BK Häcken will get their Champions League campaign underway with a trip to Italy as they face Inter Milan on Tuesday 22nd September. Kick-off is at 17:45 (BST). Viewers can watch every UWCL match live on  Disney+  as part of existing customer subscriptions. For more information on UWCL viewing rights, follow the UEFA website for guidance. Related articles from Her Football Hub: UWCL: Verena Hanshaw and Austria Wien ready for ‘massive step’ on Europe’s biggest stage UWCL: Emma Kullberg ready for special BK Häcken reunion as Inter make Champions League history ÖFB-Frauen Bundesliga results: St. Pölten score nine, Graz remain top and SCR Altach hammer First Vienna